The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Zhang, Zhang Jiali?!

Why is he here?

Chu Chouchi took a step back, his eyes filled with icy coldness as he glared at the approaching group as if they were already dead.

"court death!"

He slightly raised his right wrist, and a murderous intent suddenly rose in his eyes.

Shen Zhizhi was already stunned by the figure and lost her composure. After suddenly coming to her senses, she forcefully pulled down Chu Chouchi's hand that he was about to raise.

She hurriedly said, "Your Highness, no, you can't kill people."

When Zhang Jiali ascends the throne, he will be a wise ruler, with everyone responding to his call and admiring him.

He has always been fair and just. If Chu Chouchi is a bloodthirsty man and incites the people's anger, Zhang Jiali will surely respond to the people's call and kill him.

Therefore, if we want Chu Chouchi to be safe in the future, we can only tell him to be a good person.

While Chu Chouchi was stunned, Shen Zhizhi's eyes narrowed, and she kicked out with a flying kick, fiercely striking the servant who was rushing towards her.

The immense impact forced the lead servant to fall backward. Those behind him lost their footing, and the group piled on top of each other, groaning in pain as they lay on the ground.

Chu Chouchi looked down in astonishment, staring at the girl who remained calm and in an aggressive stance.

She...was skilled in martial arts?

Shen Zhizhi withdrew her foot, rubbing her hip, which ached from the excessive force.

This body is too weak. The kicks and thrashings from a few days ago only improved slightly after several days of rest. Today's kick will probably cause cramps again.

After she finished lamenting, she looked downstairs.

"Ah! Lord Zhang has arrived!"

"Master Zhang!"

……

She hadn't thought anything of it before, but only at this moment did Shen Zhizhi directly experience what the protagonist's halo was.

Hidden in a corner, that tall and straight figure was like the moon veiled by clouds; once parted, its brilliance would be boundless.

Amidst the gasps of amazement and a thousandfold admiration from those around them.

Upon reaching the path, he followed closely, stopping before everyone's eyes.

The hall was completely silent, except for the sound of his white robes fluttering, which stirred everyone's hearts.

This is Zhang Jiali.

This was the highest courtesy the people of Nanliyue Star City could offer him.

"Your Highness." He bowed slightly in greeting.

Chu Chouchi's eyes were cold and hard as iron. He ignored him and picked up the long sword that had fallen to the ground. His gaze was fixed on Zhu Shen, who was hiding in the corner and trembling.

Zhu Shen was already terrified after Zhang Jiali called out "Second Prince," and now that Chu Chouchi was looking at him, his legs went weak.

His face turned pale, and he suddenly knelt down and crawled toward Zhang Jiali, kowtowing repeatedly:

"I beg Lord Zhang to save my life. I know I was wrong and shouldn't have done such a thing here. I am willing to be punished. I beg Lord Zhang to plead for me and save my life."

Seeing Zhu Shen bypass Chu Chouchi and turn to seek help from Zhang Jiali, Shen Zhizhi was once again amazed by the extent to which the people of Nanliyue Star City relied on Zhang Jiali.

They were not unaware of Chu Chouchi's true nature, but they still believed that even if they were imprisoned, Zhang Jiali could still give them hope.

Shen Zhizhi shrank back and glanced at Chu Chouchi, only to see that he still had icy eyes and was staring at Zhu Shen with murderous intent, seemingly not angry or anything about the matter.

Shen Zhizhi smiled wryly, relieved. This guy really does look down on everything.

Zhang Jiali stopped, looking at the mess in his eyes with doubt. After a long while, he said, "Your Highness, I will definitely give you an explanation for what happened today."

"Is that so? Then tell me, how should he be punished for what happened today?" Chu Chou held his long sword in his hand and suddenly placed the blade against Zhu Shen's neck, a cold glint in his eyes.

Seeing Chu Chouchi's appearance, Shen Zhizhi felt her heart pounding, neither able to breathe nor feel relieved.

Zhang Jiali stared at Zhu Shen, who was trembling so badly he was almost fainting, and frowned slightly. "Second Prince, according to the laws of the Crown Prince, those who engage in street fights shall be detained and imprisoned, with the length of imprisonment determined at the discretion of the court..."

"A street brawl? Is this his only crime? How can Lord Zhang, who judges cases so decisively, be worthy of the position of Vice Minister?"

Chu Chouchi sneered disdainfully. Today's events had crossed his bottom line. He had to get rid of Zhu Shen!

Zhang Jiali remained calm, lowering his eyes. "This humble subject is only aware of this one charge. Does Your Highness have anything to add?"

"Very well! Then I will inform you in detail."

Chu Chouchi's eyes darkened, the frost in them almost solidifying. "His insubordination is the second offense, and his insults against me are the third. Either one of these is enough to make him die without a burial place."

“Ignorance is no excuse. He didn’t know the Second Prince’s identity, which is why he offended the Prince.”

Zhang Jiali bowed respectfully, "If Your Highness harbors resentment, then punish him with fifty strokes of the cane as a sign of discipline, is that alright?"

Chu Chouchi frowned, "If your highness—"

"Lord Zhang's intention is exactly what His Highness is thinking!"

Before Chu Chouchi could finish speaking, Shen Zhizhi grabbed his wrist and leaned closer with a grin.

As Shen Zhizhi spoke, she turned her head and glanced at the group of servants behind her, "His Highness the Second Prince is kind and benevolent, why don't you all quickly express your gratitude?"

"Thank you, Second Prince, for sparing our lives! Thank you, Second Prince, for sparing our lives!" The group of servants were stunned for a moment, and then kowtowed repeatedly after they came to their senses.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Shen disregarded everything else and joined the others in kowtowing in gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Second Prince, for sparing my life. I, Zhu Shen, will never dare to commit this offense again in the future."

"..."

Chu Chouchi's face suddenly darkened.

He glanced at the smiling girl beside him, but she remained calm, tilting her head with an innocent expression.

When did this guy become so bold? He's repeatedly trying to guess what I'm thinking.

What frustrated him even more was that this action did not anger him in the slightest.

Shen Zhizhi looked at him intently, hoping he would continue as she wished. She gently pushed his arm and said softly, "Your Highness, hurry, they are thanking you for your kindness."

Chu Chou's ears burned, and just as he was about to blurt out the words of "going with the flow," he belatedly realized that he seemed to have lost his authority in front of her, and immediately frowned.

"How dare you presume to know what I'm thinking?"

Chu Chou raised an eyebrow slightly, and a barely perceptible aura of coldness surged forth, startling Shen Zhizhi into looking up.

No way?! He wants to hit me?!

Chu Chouchi raised his sword abruptly, aiming it at Zhu Shen's neck with lightning speed.

The whole hall was shocked!

Shen Zhizhi closed her eyes in terror, unable to bear watching the horrific scene of heads rolling to the ground.

It's over! We're back to square one!

Although most of the guests in the restaurant, like Shen Zhizhi, looked away and couldn't bear to watch, some of the bolder ones shouted out what they had seen.

"Second, the Second Prince didn't kill him, he only cut off his crown!"

"The Second Prince didn't even harm him in the slightest?!"

"I also heard that the Second Prince has been distributing porridge to the refugees outside the city these past few days. Today, I went out of the city and heard the refugees say that the Second Prince is kind-hearted and considerate to them."

......

Amidst the clamor, Shen Zhizhi opened her eyes in surprise and immediately saw Zhang Jiali staring in a certain direction with astonishment in his eyes.

She followed Zhang Jiali's gaze.

Chu Chouchi stood beside Zhu Shen, sword in hand, but there was no blood on the sword. Looking down, he saw only a tuft of black hair and a silver crown on the ground.